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ST:TNG Family
Oct. 18th, 2010 06:39 pmThis is a beautiful bit of writing. It's like thematic origami, all the pieces fold together and make connections with each other. It's about fathers and sons, and parents and children, and brothers, and the path laid down before you, and the road not taken. And it goes exactly and precisely at this point in the series, pulling together threads, bringing out emotional reactions the show usually wouldn't make time for. But it has the science fiction thread real strong in it too, with debates about synthehol vs alcohol, old school cooking vs replicators, hand made vs technology, and how some think there's a vs in there and others think they're all of a piece, plus a bit about raising a whole extra continent, which leaves you wondering why humans think they need it, and would be an awesome technical achievement. And at the heart of everything, Starfleet. You get more of a sense of how Starfleet fits into the lives of not-Starfleet humans from this episode than from, well, probably the series to date. You get a sense of continuity and conflict in human culture that was frankly missing from the cosy 'we all agree here' 'humans think this' version that seems to exist on the ship. Science fiction at its understated best.
There's Worf and his parents, with mention from O'Brien about his dad. There's a constellation of Picards, Jean-Luc and his brother and his nephew and his sister-in-law and the invisible but ever present late father. And there's the Crusher family, with Beverley retrieving tangible reminders of the late Jack, and making him visible in the message to Wesley. All the interactions layer up, all have Starfleet in there somewhere, and career, and rank, and responsibility. You can keep unfolding this episode for a good long while. I love it.
There was only one note that was a bit disappointing. You spend the episode with the Crusher sub plot with the message, you find it exists, you see it handed over, you want to see what it says and how Wes will react. And, well, you see what it says. That bit about 'sorry for all the mistakes I'm going to make' wraps in to all the story threads, as does saying he can see everyone he loves in him and they'll always be connected. But Wes? I kept waiting for a reaction, and after a while I kind of wanted to poke him to try and find the 'on' button. It's just sad.
... I'd feel bad about saying that but I'm far, far less critical than Wil Wheaton is of himself. Harsh.
You can start with the arrogant couldn't give a damn teenager and get a lot out of that scene though. You'd have to get the actor to do it, but I mean Wes being all excessively 18 about it is a pretty good place to start. ( Read more... )
There's Worf and his parents, with mention from O'Brien about his dad. There's a constellation of Picards, Jean-Luc and his brother and his nephew and his sister-in-law and the invisible but ever present late father. And there's the Crusher family, with Beverley retrieving tangible reminders of the late Jack, and making him visible in the message to Wesley. All the interactions layer up, all have Starfleet in there somewhere, and career, and rank, and responsibility. You can keep unfolding this episode for a good long while. I love it.
There was only one note that was a bit disappointing. You spend the episode with the Crusher sub plot with the message, you find it exists, you see it handed over, you want to see what it says and how Wes will react. And, well, you see what it says. That bit about 'sorry for all the mistakes I'm going to make' wraps in to all the story threads, as does saying he can see everyone he loves in him and they'll always be connected. But Wes? I kept waiting for a reaction, and after a while I kind of wanted to poke him to try and find the 'on' button. It's just sad.
... I'd feel bad about saying that but I'm far, far less critical than Wil Wheaton is of himself. Harsh.
You can start with the arrogant couldn't give a damn teenager and get a lot out of that scene though. You'd have to get the actor to do it, but I mean Wes being all excessively 18 about it is a pretty good place to start. ( Read more... )